Lubricant and method of producing the same



Patented June 24, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RUSH NICHOLASJ'ARMAN, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO LINDSAY- MCMILLAN COMPANY,A CORPORATION OF WISCONSIN LUBRICANT AND METHOD OF PRODUCING THE SAME NoDrawing.

The invention relates to an improved lubricant and the method ofproducing the same. 4

The object of the invention is to so treat 5 petroleum lubricating oilshaving paraffin bases as to reduce-the cold test thereof so that heavieroils, which contain a better body and are better lubricants, can be usedin cold Weather without becoming too stifi and solid for practicalpurposes.

By my invention I am able to take petroleum lubricatin oils havingparflin bases, such as are usable for lubricating automobiles or othermachinery and reduce the cold test thereof, for example, Mid-continentor Pennsylvania petroleum oil and similar paraffin oils, having aviscosity test of two hundred seconds at one hundred degrees F. SayboltUniversal Viscosimeter and a cold test of thirty-five degrees F. andreduce the cold test to zero F. without affecting the lubricating orother qualities of the oil. In carrying out my invention I take degrasof any suitable kind, including American degras, and make a zinc degrassoap therefrom. Degras, as is well known, contains a mixture of fatsmade from various fatty acids, and I may make this soap directly byboiling zinc oxide (ZnO) and the degras together until completelysaponified, or I may make it indirectly. In the latter case I takedegras and make a sodium soap therefrom with sodium hydroxide (Nz OH)and this soap is then dissolved in water, zinc sulphate (ZnSO insolution added thereto and the mixture may then be heated to hasten theaction, although heating is not necessary. The zinc replaces the sodiumwith the result that I get a zinc soap and sodium sulphate (NfigSOthe-latter being soluble and easily washed out, leaving the resultantwaterinsoluble zinc degras soap.

In either case I obtain a product of zinc degras soap which when addedto the petroleum lubricating oil having a paraffin base I desire totreat reduces the cold testthereof.

For practical commercial purposes I dissolve the soap so made in a smallamount of lubricating oil, generally a ten per cent solution, which Icall my base. If now I de- Applieation filed February 7, 1927. SerialNo. 166,593.

sire to reduce the cold test of a particular petroleum lubricating oilhaving a paraffin base, such as one of the examples given above, I mixit with some of this base, for example, ten per cent base and ninety per5 cent of the lubricating oil, such as I have indicated, which gives aone per cent zinc degras soap solution. This one per cent of zinc degrassoap will reduce the cold test in the case of a Mid-continent orPennsylvania petroleum oil having a paraffin base of twohundredviscosity test at one hundred degrees Fahrenheit from thirty-fivedegrees F. down to zero F.

While I have described In invention in connection with two knownubricating petroleum oils having paraffin bases, having a cold test ofthirty-five degrees F., it will be understood that the zinc degras soapmay be used with other lubricating petroleum oils having paraffin basesor greases made from petroleum oils having paraffin bases to reduce thecold test thereof and hence I desire it to be understood that thisinvention is not to be limited to any specific oil or proportion ofparts except as such limita tions are specified in the claims.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. As a new lubricant, a petroleum oil having a parafiin base and havinga small so amount of zinc degras 'soap added thereto to reduce the coldtest of said oil.

2. As a new base for treating petroleum lubricants having paraffin basesto reduce the cold test thereof, a petroleum lubricating oil having zincdegras soap added-thereto in an amount not to exceed'ten per cent of themixture. i

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature.

RUSH NICHOLAS JARMAN.

